Nashville, Tennessee has earned a fair share of nicknames over the years. Perhaps none are more well deserved than “Music City, U.S.A.” Dating back as far as 1874, WSM-AM Announcer David Cobb popularized the moniker during a 1950 broadcast. Home of major Country music names such as Billy Ray Cyrus and Lady Antebellum as well as the site of the Grand Ole Opry along with the Country Music Hall of Fame, Nashville was the perfect starting grounds for Southern Rock band known as The Cadillac Three.
Forming from the ashes of American Bang, former members Jaren Johnston (lead vocals, guitar), Kelby Ray (bass guitar, Dobro, acoustic guitar, vocals), and Neil Mason (drums, vocals) downsized to a three piece to try their hands with The Cadillac Three. Going on to release a self-titled album in 2012, they soon signed on with Big Machine Records. Hard at work with bands like Florida Georgia Line and Dierks Bentley, in 2013, the band would release the single “The South,” which would catch fire and put The Cadillac Three on the mainstream.
Still riding high toward the top of Southern Rock glory, 2016 saw the release of the much-anticipated sophomore album, Bury Me in My Boots. An album which would debut at #5 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, Bury Me in My Boots offers classic Country Rock themes dressed up in a modern way.
Continuing the upward trend with more heavy touring, the band embarked on the Black Roses Tour in early 2017 with Aubrie Sellers, Brent Cobb, Ray Wylie Hubbard, as well as Quaker City Night Hawks rotating as openers. A tour that marks another entry in the Monster Energy Outbreak Series following Cash Cash and Kane Brown’s run in 2016, the fun kicked off on January 19th in Nashville. With shows spanning all the way through March 17th, on Friday, February 17th, The Cadillac Three shuffled into New York City to host a show at Irving Plaza.
Warming up from the mid-winter night, fans grabbed their beers, took a gander at some merchandise, before crowding the stage for supporting act, Aubrie Sellers. Also a native of Nashville, Aubrie Sellers is the daughter of Singer/Songwriter Jason Sellers and the Grammy Award winning Lee Ann Womack. Following in her parents’ musical footsteps, the talented young singer is coming off the release of her 2016 debut album, New City Blues. Peaking at #23 on US Country charts, the album is a wonderful range of genres of which Sellers shows immense talent and passion for.
Accurately self-described as “A little bit Country, a little bit Rock-n-Roll,” Sellers has quickly garnered the attention of fans and critics alike. Now two days after entering New York City to perform for the Vivienne Hu Fashion Show, it was time to exchange the catwalk for the Irving Plaza stage.
Diving right into cuts from New City Blues, Sellers opened up with “Light of Day” and “Sit Here and Cry.” Showing poise and excitement, she went into “Liar Liar,” soon following with a cover of The Kinks “All Day and All of the Night.” Not sounding out of place at all, Sellers showed off a grungier side of her abilities to perfection, hence the little bit of Rock-n-Roll title.
Slowing things down, and adding another layer to her set, she followed up with Willie Dixon’s “My Babe.” A delightful rendition, Sellers returned to original material with “Losing Ground” and “Rolling Stone” before closing it all out with “Just To Be With You.” As the music came to an end, Sellers left the stage, letting her bandmates take over to close out the performance in dramatic style. With New York City marking her final stop with The Cadillac Three, she now joins Miranda Lambert’s Highway Vagabond Tour with dates through Mid-March. While Sellers may dub herself as “Garage Country,” the garage may be no longer able to contain her talents much longer.
Then, without further ado, the trio launched into the title-track off their last album while fans chimed in with the “Don’t forget the whiskey!” as Johnston spun and shimmied between lyrics. While temperatures might have been freezing outside, the boys out of Nashville had the crowd at Irving Plaza heated up with more killer tunes such as “Soundtrack to a Six Pack,” “I’m Southern,” and “Drunk Like You.” Keeping that energy high, they soon paid tribute to various inspirations with snippets from Frankie Ballard’s “Sunshine & Whiskey,” Jake Owen’s “American Country Love Song,” and Tim McGraw’s “Meanwhile Back at Mama’s” before Johnston closed out with his personal favorite, Keith Urban’s “Raise ‘Em Up.”
Engaging the room, between the songs, Johnston had a warm and sincere approach. Realizing how life has changed with the upcoming birth of his first child, the vocalist playfully confessed he was ready for his life to change “from panties to onesies.” Later on, he thanked a fan who gave him a baby shirt during the meet and greet prior to the show.
Going on to dedicate a song to a girl named Christina in the crowd, when multiple girls cheered loudly, Johnston humorously exclaimed, “Guess we have more than one Christina up in here!” With that they went into the song “Peace Love & Dixie” before kicking into “Party Like You” and “White Lightning.” After the song “Life,” they would jump into their hit “The South” with everyone singing along loudly until the final note.
Finishing up, Mason and Ray left their platforms and joined Johnston at the end of the stage, signing autographs and shaking hands with anyone who wanted. One heck of a performance, The Cadillac Three rocked, rolled, and showed plenty of heart as they dished out one great song after another. It seems the experience of their past has truly made them stronger and wiser in music, as well as life. Johnston himself appears to be in a good place with a growing family to match a promising music career, he is a man on top of the world. As for The Cadillac Three themselves, they also continue to blaze a trail with the Black Roses Tour continuing on.
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